With the threat of Thread removed and the dragonriders intentions to become more self-sufficient, the structure of the Weyrs has changed. In the traditional Weyr structure, the weyrlings are housed near the infirmary - as physically far away from the healthy adult dragons as possible while remaining in the safety of the Weyr. In the new world, weyrlings are shipped off within two fortnights of Impression.

Each Weyr has an Academy associated with it. Weyrlings arrive by land or sea - no betweening unless there's a dire need of it. Weyrlings from each Hatching are rotated among the Academies so that, while the group remains together, they receiving training and experience with weyrlings from other Weyrs.

With an average of two golds per Weyr, there is a new batch of weyrlings being sent to an Academy every three weeks. Each Academy receives a new batch every six months. This means there's usually three to four Hatchings' of weyrlings at an Academy at any given time.

Currently, Northern Academy is home to a batch 9 Benden weyrlings just shy of 1 Turn of age; 12 Fort weyrlings 6 months of age; and a brand-new batch is just about to ship in from Xanadu.

The training weyrlings undergo has not changed. They are still taught flight formations and how to flame, but they no longer are blooded into the Wings. Graduates are encouraged to stay at the Academy as support staff or establish their own weyrholds rather than join a Wing.

Weyrling - 1. The latest addition to the dragonriding ranks. Though (s)he is newto the lifestyle of a rider and the bond between him/herself and the hatchling, (s)he is expected to adapt quickly and to learn the more important aspects of his/her future position in the Weyr. 2. The dragon of such a person.

Weyrlingmaster - (n.) 1. The rider in charge of the weyrlings. (S)he holds one of the most important positions in the Weyr, though (s)he is rarely as recognized as the Weyrleadership and Wingleaders. The lives of the new riders are in his/her hands; it is his/her job to mold them into proper dragonriders who will be an advantage against Thread, not a danger to him/herself and his/her wingmembers. 2. The dragon bonded to the human of this position. It is his/her job to catch weyrlings when they falter during their first unmanned and manned flights, and also to further impress his/her lifemate's words upon the dragonets.

Assistant Weyrlingmaster - (n.) The assistant to the Weyrlingmaster, in all aspects of his/her duties. This means he/she deserves the same amount of respect as the Weyrlingmaster.

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Rules

Yes, these are in addition to those rules outlined on the Rules page. These are more specific to weyrlings, though, and address some of the more finer points of being a weyrling.OOC

Keep in mind that your characters do, and will, age. It is physically impossible for a dragonrider to remain eighteen throughout the Turn-and-a-half of weyrlinghood.

Attend all of the mandatory classes and as many of the non-mandatory ones as possible. They're meant to teach you about your characters and growing dragons, and also to give you something to center your roleplaying around.

Do not ask to have your female dragon rise and do not have your male dragon chase after females in flight until they are old enough to do so (the Weyrlingmaster or Kes will let you know when that is).

Get permission from the Weyrlingmaster or Kes before going ahead with a prank or Weyrling-based event.

IC

Intimate relationships are strictly prohibited for gold weyrlings and all other weyrlings under the age of 8 months. These can and will confuse your dragon during that period of time when you should be paying attention to him/her, and to him/her alone. For non-gold weyrlings over the age of 9 months, relationships are no longer discouraged and may even be encouraged. Gold weyrlings continue to be discouraged because their dragons are the mothers of the next generation of dragons and they continue to be encouraged to mate with a variety of males in order to maintain diversity in the bloodlines.

ONE glass of alcohol is permitted at supper until weyrlings reach 9 months of age (or after they've passed between training).

Listen to your superiors, not just the Weyrlingmaster and Weyrleadership, but any other resident of the Weyr. They're here to help you, and they deserve both your respect and your attention.

Keep in mind that any pranks or breaking of rules can and will result in punishment (if discovered), the severity of which will be proportional to the misdemeanor. These will range from mucking or cleaning of dragon couches and mucking of dragon dung to being held back from graduation. (Sometimes punishment can be a fun thing, regardless, and it can help a plot.) Please note: as with Candidates, this applies even to known pranks (a.k.a., you may have permission from Kes or the Weyrlingmaster's gamer to participate in the prank, but if you get caught, you'll still be punished)!

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Schedule

Training Groups

For training, weyrlings will be divided into wings and these will be the groups for formation practices and activities (including chores). Daily schedules will also be organized around these wings.

Rest Days

Based on their age groups, the weyrlings have different days for Rest Days.

Under 6 months - first day of the week (Sunday)

6-10 months - last day of the week (Saturday)

10-12 months - same as your home Weyr (varies by Weyr)

12-14 months - same as your mentor (varies by mentor)

Weyrlingmasters - rotates

Lessons

For OOC convenience, posting for each lesson lasts 1-2 months apiece (depending the number and complexity of mini-lessons, mini-plots, and RL schedules). Weyrlinghood is a very important time of development for your dragonrider character--use it!

All lessons are mandatory, but not all mini-lessons within each lesson. Even though they aren't mandatory, you are still encouraged to attend all mini-lessons. If you don't make use of your weyrling in RP, you may be held back from graduating even if you have the mandatory lessons completed, so it never hurts to participate. Attendance of 10 mini-lessons are required for graduation. One mini-lesson for each age group is required (this is 9 total) plus one additional one that you can pick (most people will probably go for what's in lesson # 6 since there are several mini-lesson options there). Please tell H'lee (Kes) if you will/won't be attending a particular mini-lesson (where you have a choice between two or three mini-lessons in an age group).

Lesson Overview

This outline is a high-level view of Weyrlinghood, month by month.

Lesson 1: Dragon healthcare

Dragon age: 0-3 months

Highlights:

The bond between dragonet and weyrling is extremely sensitive, even raw; by the end of three months, the bond is usually stabilized and no longer as sensitive

Weyrlings are assigned an adult rider mentor; the weyrlings are encouraged to talk with their mentors at least once a week to ask questions and may request extra practice and training with their mentors

By the third month, studies of wing formations are added to afternoon lessons

Lesson 2-3: Flight preparation and first flights

Dragon age: 3 months – 6 months

Highlights:

Walking and mounted ground drills

Riding strap construction and first flights with your dragonets

Self-defense and weapons training

Weyrlings are taken around on a tour of the vacant weyrs available; you log your weyr preferences with the Headwoman who works with the Weyrlingmaster team to make final weyr assignments and prepares the weyrs for occupancy

Weyrlings get their measurements taken for riding leathers and get two sets of ‘working’ leathers from Stores with the headwoman

Morning Exercise

Laps and calisthenics gradually become more intense

Ever-increasing loads in the sandbag tosses

The first walking ground drills

Self-defense and basic weapons training are introduced

Walking ground drills performed with weyrlings mounted on their dragonets starting 4th month

Afternoon Lessons

Crafthall structure and etiquette

Lessons on when self-defense and weapons usage are appropriate to use (e.g., dueling)

During the 4th month, weyrlings start examining straps, learning the theory of strap-making, and constructing their first set of flying straps

Flights

Short, supervised solo glides

By end of third month, dragonets fly all over the Academy comfortably

By the fourth month, dragons are allowed to hunt from the air and fly around the Academy unsupervised

During the 5th month, after the weyrlings' first set of flying straps pass inspection, weyrlings make their first flights on their dragonets

Lesson 4: – Flight duties and aerial drills

Dragon age: 6 months – 7 months

Highlights:

Weyrlings may fly supervised straight anywhere between the Academy and Snowy and Aurora Holds and within a radius equal to the distance between the Academy and the Holds, or about 20 miles

Weyrlings get one set of new leathers, paid for by the Weyr, based on measurements taken last month

Formation drills move to the air

Morning Exercise:

Intense calisthenics, laps, self-defense, and weapons practices

Complex formation drills continue to take place on the ground

Aerial drills

Afternoon Lessons:

Transport duty

Between visualizations (no betweening!)

Lesson 5: Between, mating flights, and weyrling duties

Dragon age: 8 months – 12 months

Highlights:

One on one and small group talks about mating flights start this month and last throughout; precocious males may start chasing with OOC clearance from the WLM-team

Weyrlings are transferred to their home Weyr and given traditional weyrling duties for two months; they continue to perform drills in the mornings as they did at the Academy, but afternoon lessons are broken with shifts of weyrling duties

Every weyrling is assigned to a regular wing to shadow during the wing’s regular drills and sometimes to a specific rider to shadow that rider on sweeps

On their last evening at the Weyr, exactly one Turn after Impression, weyrlings are honored by the entire Weyr with a Turnday celebration

Morning Exercise:

Aerial drills continue

Dyed rope activities start after weyrlings pass betweening lessons

After transfer to Weyr, dyed rope activities are replaced with resupply activities during Threadfall simulations

Afternoon Lessons:

Visualization exercises continue

Theory on betweening

Mating flights

Review of the current wingriders and management at the weyrlings' home Weyr

Review of the duties weyrlings will be expected to perform at their home Weyr

Betweening:

Between lessons are performed one-on-one with the Weyrlingmaster in multiple half-day lessons spread over the course of 4-6 sevendays (depending on their skill level)

Weyrlings apply the visuals they’ve been learning to make their first jumps between

Weyrlings begin practicing long distance jumps using visuals providing by the weyrlingmaster

Weyrlings may leave the Weyr accompanied by a weyrlingmaster to practice between jumps

During and after the 9th month, weyrlings may fly between to proven visualized destinations unaccompanied

Lesson 6: Firestone and flamethrowers

Dragon age: 7 months – 8 months

Highlights:

Dragonets and weyrlings begin transporting supplies and people from the Holds to the Academy

Learning how to use flamethrowers

Learning how to flame

Morning Exercise:

Weyrlings are encouraged to fly as much as possible together

Intense calisthenics, laps, self-defense, and weapons practices

Complex formation drills continue to take place on the ground

Aerial drills continue

Afternoon Lessons:

Learn about firestone and the theory behind flaming

Learn how to operate and maintain a flamethrower

Studying more advanced wing formations

Begin learning visualizations from around the general area including the Holds

Flaming:

Weyrlingmaster works one on one with weyrlings, starting with soft stone (not firestone), gradually building up to low-grade firestone, then full-grade firestone

Each weyrling spends 1-3 days learning to flame solo with the Weyrlingmaster, then begins working in teams with other weyrlings and learning to flame during in formation in the air

Lesson 7: Final examinations

Dragon age: 12-14 months

Highlights:

Weyrlings return to the Academy for final examinations

Exams take place in three parts:

A solo exam (one on one with the Weyrlingmaster)

A Wing exam (with your wing group from training and the Weyrlingmaster)

A Flight exam (with all your clutchmates and the Weyrlingmaster)

After passing exams, weyrlings have an interview with the Weyrlingmaster, the Headwoman, and the Craftmaster of their chosen craft to discuss their future plans; they are then provided with whatever support they need to get set their plans in motion (e.g., they want to start a small holding of their own, they are provided a small support staff and weyrlings on transport duty who are authorized to fly between help provide supplies)

Morning Exercises: Exercises are no longer mandatory for weyrlings who have passed their exams, but are encouraged to continue exercising with the younger weyrlings and/or adult riders.

Afternoon Lessons: There are no lessons for weyrlings after they return from the Weyr, but they are encouraged to participate in lessons to assist the Weyrlingmaster team and the Harpers in teaching the younger weyrlings. They are also encouraged to complete their Craft lessons to the extent that they are able to (Journeymanship or Mastery if possible).

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Additional Notes

Dyed Rope Activity

Three or four full riders, including the Weyrlingmaster, will fly over the weyrlings--who will be holding above ground wing formations--and drop clumps of wet, dyed rope that imitate Thread. The weyrlings must flame the 'Thread' as it falls, and a point is tallied for every bag safely eliminated (bags fit in the palm of an adult's hand, packed tightly with 'Thread'--one bag is one clump), two points taken off for every dye mark on dragon or human, one for every piece of rope on the ground, and one for scorch marks. Weyrling group points will be kept track of, and winners will be awarded a free sevenday at the end of their 9th month, just before transfer to their home Weyr. All losers will continue practice.

Chores

Chores are mandatory for all weyrlings. They're a way of teaching discipline and building up muscles for riding. The Weyrlingmaster divides weyrlings into four groups and assigns each group to a different detail (Feeding, Making Oils, Housekeeping, and Errands), rotating the details every sevenday.

FeedingOnce you have Impressed a hatchling, you have to feed it! The WLM's and his assistants' dragons will bring in kills for the weyrling dragons to eat--but they must first be butchered, otherwise your dragon may choke on the meat! This means that every morning (and any other time your dragon gets hungry), you must butcher a section of herdbeast or 1-2 wherries, chop the meat up into fist-sized chunks (larger pieces are acceptable as your dragon grows), and feed them. Chores include butchering, cleaning up, and sharpening knives and instruments; for the first two months of weyrlinghood, every weyrling performs this task every day, although after those two months, weyrlings may make deals with each other for the individual tasks within the chore.

Making OilsYes, most of the oils used on dragonhide can be purchased but it's still a good idea for you to know how to make your own oil--just like many Healers generally don't have to make their own numbweed, but they all learn how to. It can be a smelly, messy job, but it needs to be done.

HousekeepingHousekeeping comes in two parts: Cleaning up after dragons, and cleaning up after their riders. This is part and parcel of being a rider. For weyrlings, whose dragons cannot travel as far to "do their business," this means you will have to clean up and dispose of your dragon's waste. Generally, this involves putting it in a sack or barrow which you then take out to the dragon midden. This chore also includes cleaning up any mess they make while they eat (blood spatters, etc.), keeping the dust and grime from building up on their couches, and any other cleaning you can think of.Since weyrling dragons cannot fly very well, and weyrlings are not allowed to choose their own weyrs until their dragons can fly safely, the barracks must be kept clean. How is up to the weyrlings in each room--if someone is tall and particularly good at dusting/cleaning the upper walls and shelves, let him/her do those while someone else crawls on the floor checking under beds for things; or each person can be responsible for the area around his/her bed and dragon couch (but if you do this, make sure there are no "lines" of dirt between areas as a result of your-side-my-side arguments).

ErrandsLike candidates, you can run errands for other people around the Weyr. Keep in mind that you will have a slight advantage over the candidates as your dragon grows--the first advantage is that he/she will be able to fly (once he/she's passed that lesson), and the second is that he/she will be able to go between (again, once he/she's passed THAT lesson). Keep in mind, also, that some folk are willing to pay marks to have their errands run.

PunishmentsThere are several less-than-savory chores that Weyrlings can be put to when caught stepping out of line. The most popular of these (at least, for those handing out penance chores) are emptying, stirring, or cleaning the midden and latrines. This includes the dragon midden; the dragon midden is divided up into sections that are rotated every Turn, and at the end of every Turn, after the harvest, one of the sections is spread in the fields as fertilizer.